


A Birthday Night Out

by Activeimagination



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 03:19:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10822665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Activeimagination/pseuds/Activeimagination
Summary: This is a sequel to the story May to December. Basically it is Aaron's birthday January 2018. A trip to Liverpool and a night in the club when a blast from the past turns up.





	A Birthday Night Out

A Birthday Night Out

There are always things you do for the person you love that you do not necessarily enjoy doing. For some its sitting through football matches, for others looking at the latest romcom, for Robert it was being in a gay bar or club. Aaron had brought him to one in the early days of their affair and he had hated it. Granted a lot of that was down to the self -hate that he was engaging in at the time. Since they had become a couple they had been a few times and while not as self conscious about it he still disliked them. His husband found it amusing as usually the music would be part of any playlist he might be likely to put together. He also liked dancing and was able to move. Aaron had not been oblivious to the looks he had gotten on the floor when Robert had managed to drag him onto it. 

Aaron Dingle, as a general rule, did not dance but he did enjoy the scene from time to time. He had ventured onto it as an eighteen year old taking uncertain and small steps. It had been there that he saw that gay men came in all shapes and sizes and from all backgrounds. He had met Jackson there; to this day they were a place where he felt safe, secure and at ease. He knew Robert didn’t like them so on the rare occasion they were in one he always threw looks towards the man he loved that he knew got him excited. The one thing about them that Robert liked was the fact that he could literally eat the face of Aaron and no one batted an eyelid. 

oOo

It was early January and the trip to see Liverpool was part of Aaron’s birthday present. Robert didn’t mind football and he knew that Aaron would love it. The hotel was plush and they had made every use of the comforts after the game before dinner and heading out. He still counted himself extremely lucky that Aaron had given him a second chance and that he was so supportive over his baby daughter. On Thursday evening he had walked into the living room of their home to see his husband gently cuddling her and talking to her. It had warmed his heart. Where he saw possible problems Aaron saw a new opening, a chance for them both to have a positive influence on a new life. 

Standing on this balcony surveying the hordes below he couldn’t help but move to the music. Cheesy pop was blaring from the speakers but it was what formed the soundtrack to his life. He was not blind to the few admiring glances thrown his way by the lads but he scanned the ground floor to see the only one he cared about. He picked him out and laughed. Aaron was being chatted up, that was obvious by a well-built lad with reddish hair. His husband hated when that happened and he decided to go rescue him. It was not an entirely selfless act but he wouldn’t admit that. 

After pushing his way through people on the stairs he walked in the direction of where he had seen him. Expecting a look of relief from Aaron he was bemused to find him chatting in an animated fashion to the taller man. He was smiling and very much at ease. Robert was the opposite.  
‘Making friends?’ he tried to smile as he reached for the drink Aaron was holding for him. He looked at the man Aaron was talking to. He was tall and muscled and held himself with just the right amount of confidence that did not border on arrogance. He was dressed smartly, shirt and skinny jeans. The kind Robert admired but would never wear. Robert could feel the urge to hit him.  
‘You must be Robert,’ the owner of the outstretched hand spoke with a definite Irish accent, ‘I’m Ronan, just ran into this fella, small world eh?’  
What had been bad was now definitely getting worse. Not only was Aaron being friendly with this lad he actually knew him. No he better than knew him, they had slept together. The wind was leaving Rob’s body as surely as if the Irish man had hit him straight in the navel.

‘Yeah, had no idea you were over for the game’  
‘Last minute thing really lad. Mate had a spare going a begging and I grabbed the chance’  
‘Is your mate here, then’ even a slightly shocked Robert could think on his feet.  
‘Nah, not his scene really’  
‘Brave coming by yourself’, Robert knew he was being sarky but couldn’t help it. Jealousy was a new emotion for him but one he rapidly becoming accustomed to’  
‘Don’t mind my husband Ronan, he isn’t a fan of this, when you heading back to Ireland then’.

Robert looked at the pair talking. Arron and him had talked about Ronan briefly back before they got back together. It had hit him like a knife in the gut to think Aaron had slept with someone else. Standing in front of the person was akin to someone twisting said knife for all they were worth. In the rational part of his brain he knew he was being ridiculous, he had forfeited the right to be jealous given that he was solely responsible for their break up. He was the reason Aaron was single in Dublin. Looking at the interaction was interesting. Ronan was a good looking guy for sure but there was more. He radiated a kind of self-assurance that Robert had in almost every environment except a gay bar. He was friendly and polite without being painfully forward. He was, in fact, coming across as a type of fella that both he and Aaron would like to have as a mate. That simply made matters worse. 

‘There you are’ a fourth guy joined the group.  
‘Hey, sorry I ran into Aaron here by chance and this is his husband Robert’  
‘Alright lads’  
‘Lads, this is John my’, Ronan took a bit of a breath, ‘my boyfriend, I guess it’s ok to say’  
Pleasantries were exchanged. Both Aaron and Robert guessed it was early days in this relationship and that was why Ronan was slightly hesitant. The chat went on for a good fifteen minutes. John was from Bristol but was living and working in the West of Ireland where he had met Ronan in November and they were seeing each other since. Robert’s heart rate slowed down a little with that information but he knew he needed another drink.  
‘Can I get you lads another?’ he asked.  
‘No thanks lad’, Ronan replied, ‘we’ll head on I think, nice seeing you again Aaron and meeting you Robert, good luck’.  
They shook hands and were gone. Aaron smiled at Robert, he knew Rob had been uncomfortable and the smile was one of reassurance rather than anything else.  
‘Why don’t we head back too eh?’ he asked.  
‘Sure thing’

oOo

There was a silence on the journey to the hotel. Robert was thinking and Aaron decided to let him. He, above anyone, knew what Robert was feeling. He was also happy to have ran into Ronan and catch up. They got to the hotel room and Robert went to the bathroom. Aaron knew that when he emerged he would be ready to speak, their communication was infinitely better now than ever before. 

‘How do you do it?’  
‘Excuse me?’, Aaron was not expecting this question.  
‘I mean how in God’s name do you not go mental with Rebecca… with everything. I mean I wanted to knock that lad’s block off tonight and what you had was not a betrayal and I may never see him again. My God it must be so awful for you every time, we have to come up with a plan’  
‘Robert, relax will you’  
‘No Aaron, we can’t have anything come in the way, anything make you feel bad like that. I will collect Rose from Rebecca, No that won’t work either. I tell you what, Vic, yeah Vic can collect her and bring her to ours and…  
‘Robert’, Aaron crawled over to where his husband was perched on the side of the bed, ‘you need to relax. How you felt tonight was natural. I felt that way since I knew you had a thing with her years ago. Still do sometimes. But and this is important, I know you will never allow it to happen again. I trust you. Rebecca will bring Rose to the house, I will be there too and we will go on as we have been’  
‘Are you sure, I mean...’  
‘Look, this is the first time you’ve felt like this, you need to relax, now come to bed’

As they were dozing Aaron spoke,  
‘Rob’  
‘Yeah’  
‘Got to say mine was better looking than yours’  
‘Oi’  
They both laughed and then did something that took their minds clearly off Ronan, Rebecca or indeed anyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> Just thought I'd like to do this as well. Thinking of doing one based on Robert and Paddy as well.


End file.
